Breitbart Texas announced today the addition of Ildefonso Ortiz from The Monitor. The move comes as part of an aggressive border coverage expansion on the part of the Breitbart Texas team.

Ortiz has long been a driving force behind original, breaking news from the Rio Grande Valley, cross border violence and corruption, and even on the internal cartel happenings occurring south of the U.S. border in Mexico. He has won multiple APME awards, along with a variety of other journalistic recognitions and accomplishments.

“It’s no secret that our intention is to have Breitbart News reporters stationed throughout the world–in the last year we’ve added a London bureau and have reporters on the ground in Israel. Given the rapid influx of migrants coming from Central America, we thought it essential to add Ildefonso to our team,” said Alex Marlow, Breitbart News Editor-in-Chief. “The Breitbart Texas crew has lead the world on reporting on the ongoing border crisis, and this expansion should only lead to faster and more comprehensive reportage.”

Breitbart Texas Managing Director Brandon Darby said, “We are honored to have the addition of Ildefonso Ortiz. Coverage of the border region requires an understanding of what is occurring not only in Texas and the Southwest United States, but also in Mexico and Central America.

“For too long, Americans have relied on left-of-center news outlets to provide some of the only insights into what is occurring with cartels, transnational criminal organizations, illegal immigration, and virtually any facet of information from the region.

“Look at the example of the Occupy movement in Zuccotti Park. Left media was embedded there for months. Andrew Breitbart worked with Lee Stranahan and me in covering it and we found that rapes and sexual assaults were frequently occurring in the park. Left media had just stayed mostly silent on that. They restricted the public’s knowledge because the facts didn’t fit the worldview they wanted their readers to develop. We cannot have the only information coming from this region being dependent on the filter of mainstream media.”

Ildefonso Ortiz stated, “I am thankful for the opportunity to share stories from the border with a larger audience. It is an area that has been overlooked by mainstream media. What occurs in the region has significant impact on what occurs across the rest of America, even if most Americans do not yet realize it.” He added, “I have been aggressive in reporting stories about cross border violence and drug cartels, and I am excited to join the Breitbart Texas team where the director and the other team members clearly share my passion. I will continue to utilize my unique sources in some of Mexico’s most troubled regions and together we will build even more relationships and sources on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border.”